Introduction

Welcome to The NEW and IMPROVED Graham's Journal!

Sorry about that first post. I should have started with an introduction. But I just had to right something when I registered this new blog. And I was still high from spending last night behind the wheel of a Bradley, something I've never done before. It's exhilarating, commanding a vehicle so large and powerful I could have run over a cat and not realized it. Everyone should try it, if they ever get the chance. ( which most of you won't. :-P ) But now for a more appropriate beginning...

My name Is Graham. At my job, the call me Wolf, or Wolf-Bowen, or Wolfman, or Big Wolf, or Big Bad Wolf, or Woof, or Woof Woof, or sometimes they just howl at me. You can call me Graham.

I am a twenty-eight year old white male. I am six feet, two inches tall and my weight varies around the 210 lb mark. I have brown hair and hazel eyes.

I was born in Orlando, Florida, and lived in CenFlo my entire life up until about a year ago.

I drive a red 2003 Ford Escort.

I am single, have no children, and no girlfriend.

My entire immediate family lives in Central Florida. Both of my parents are living and well and still married to each other. I have one brother, four sisters, and one brother-in-law. They all came down to Coastal Georgia to see me off two weeks ago Yaaay! Well, all except my brother, who was too busy with his incarceration to come down. But the rest of us got to hang out. First, I took everybody on a tour of Fort Stewart, then we went to Savannah, which is a really cool city. There are many great historical monuments downtown that date back all the way to colonial times. Savannah is also a great place to get shit-faced.

My job. It's not who I am. It's just what I do eight hours a day, five days a week, in order to support myself. Only now it's actually more like twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, since I'm deployed in a foreign country. I work for a certain government agency called The United States Army. I don't know how much news you watch, but the Army is currently engaged in an operation code-named, "Iraqi Freedom." Right now, I'm in Kuwait, but soon I will be moving north to the Iraqi border, and then onto our FOB (Forward Operating Base) which will be located in a place code-named "Baghdad."

I enlisted and signed a contract to serve for two years. In February of 2004 I went to Basic and AIT (Advanced Individual Training) in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. I became certified as an artilleryman, or cannoneer, or cannon crew member, or gun monkey, or a GWBSU (Guy Who Blows Shit Up.) In June, I was attached to the Third Infantry Division, and assigned to my permanent duty station in Fort Stewart, GA. A few weeks ago, I went to the sand-box, which is what we like to call the "Middle East."

What do I like to do? I like to read. All kinds of things. Science fiction, Historical fiction, Crime fiction, Comic books, Manga, books about science, spiritual books. I usually read several books at once. Am currently reading Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon, Batman, The Ultimate Evil by Andrew Vaachs, Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow, and Soul Survivor by Phillip Yancey.

I also like to write. While in Basic and AIT I was deprived of tv, movies, newspapers, internet, magazines, and all books save two, my training manual and The Bible. So I kept my self sane with correspondence to my family and friends. Practiacally everybody I knew received their own original missive, sometimes three or four. It's now come to the point that writing is almost a need. I write because I must. While other guys in my battery are playing videos games or watching DVDs (Digital Video Discs,) I'm usually reading or writing. That's why I write a journal. Sporadic only because I write other things too. Although it can be a chore sometimes, I really do enjoy writing. The only things I like better than writing are sex and the sweet, sweet neurotransmitter embrace of opioid molecules. Mmmmmm.

What do I believe? I am an evangelical, trinitarian, arminian, semi-pelagian, pre-millennial, post-tribulationist, non-denominationalist. I believe in design created by intelligently guided evolution. I believe that abortion is wrong, but that the government should have no say in this. I believe in the separation of religion and politics, church and state. But I don't see a problem with faith-based initiatives. I believe that the Apocalypse is near, though I have no idea what will happen except for maybe vague generalizations. I really don't think it will be anything like the Left Behind books though. I believe whatever I think is right. I could say that I believe The Bible. But honestly, there way too much about the Bible I don't understand. Of course, I could be wrong about all of this.

That about does it for the introduction. Now begins the journal proper.

I do realize that this site will be considered a SOLDIER-BLOG, seeing as how I'm a soldier and all. But I promise to unique among soldier blogs by not talking about the same old boring things, like the war and stuff. I'll talk about subjects like the differences between men and women, and how things that are popular and corporate-sponsored suck, but things that are obscure and independent are really cool. I'll post some of my Star Wars slash fanfic. And every once in a while, I'll post a link and an excerpt from a news article or editorial that I believe proves the incompetence of conservative politicians, followed by a smug, pithy comment or maybe a, :-/ emoticon.

I'll also post pictures, if I get around to it.

The OLD and NOT IMPROVED Graham's Journal can be found here.
Graham's Journal